Choosing the right theoretical lens. In order to answer the articulated research questions, this dissertation will build on neo-institutional theory (Meyer and Rowan, 1977; DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Zucker, 1987; Scott, 1987b; DiMaggio and Powell, 1991). We will refer to the institutional environment, its generation and mode of action. Hereby, we use regulative, nor- mative, and cognitive institutions (Scott, 1995) to explain the influence of regulatory actors on strategy formation. Furthermore, we will elaborate on the complex interactions of corpo- rate and external actors (DiMaggio and Powell, 1983; Brint and Karabel, 1991) through which the institutional order – in other words, the.
